Summary: Lot’s of people sing songs at Christmas and don’t think about what they mean. We’re going to put three popular songs together and see how they’ll combine to tell us some christmas truth

I suppose it must be a sign of ageing that I really enjoy TV programmes like ‘I love the 70s

As soon as they start to show those nostalgic clips and play the songs I used to listen to the memories come flooding back

There’s something about music that does that – isn’t there?

à particularly Christmas songs

Every time I hear the dulcet tones of Noddy Holder singing ‘so hear it is merry Christmas’ I can see my sister and I jumping up and down in the air and singing it at full volume – much to my mum’s distress

I’m sure there are songs that do that for you

- and for a little while, this evening, we’re going to see if we recongnise a few Christmas songs, tie them together and see what we come up with

Now – they’re not all titles – some of them are lines in the songs, so you’ll need to think fast

-- here’s the first one

DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS

Sung by ‘Band aid’ in 1984 – to raise money for victims of the famine in Ethiopia

It’s one of the few Christmas songs that has a good message to it <>

‘It’s Christmastime; there’s no need to be afraid

At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime

But say a prayer to pray for the other ones

At Christmastime’

But you know that chorus – ‘do they know its Christmas?’ was a challenge to the people who sang it and to us who listen to it